Among the various accidents which ships are liable to at sea, none can be more for the attention and exertion of the Officer than the speedy refitting of the masts; and having observed, in the course of the last war, the very great destruction made among the lower masts of our ships, from the enemy's mode of fighting, as well as the very great expence and delay in refitting a fleet after an action particularly accross the Atlantic, a very simple expedient has suggested itself to me, as a resource in part which appears so very speedy and secure that the capacity of the meanest sailor will at once conceive it.
I therefore think it my duty to state my ideas of the advantages likely to result from it, and I shall feel myself exceedingly happy should they in any wise contribute to remedy the evil. My plan therefore is to have the heels of all lower masts so formed as to become their heads: but it is not the intention of the above plan to have the smallest alteration made in the heels of the present lower masts; for as all line-of-battle ships' masts are nine inches in diameter larger at the heel than at the head, it will follow that by letting in the tressel-trees to their proper depth the mast will form its own cheeks and hounds; and I flatter myself the following advantages will result from the above alteration: First I must beg leave to observe that all line-of-battle ships bury one third of their lower masts, particularly three deckers: it therefore follows that if the wounds are in the upper third, by turning the mast, so as to make the heel the head, it will be as good as new, for in eight actions I was present in the last war I made the following observations: Thar in the said actions 58 lower masts were wounded and obliged to be shifted 32 of which had their wounds in the upper third, and of course the ships detained until new masts were made; and when it is considered that a lower mast for a 90 or a 74 stands Government in a sum not less I am informed than 2000 to 2300 pounds, across the Atlantic, the advantages resulting from the aforesaid plan will be particularly obvious, not to mention the probability of there being no fit spars in the country which was the case in the instances of the Isis and Princess Royal; and as I was one of the Lieutenants of the Isis at the time I am more particular in the circumstance of that ship. The Isis had both her lower masts wounded above the cat harpins, in her action with the Cæsar a French 74; and as there were no spars at New York, the Isis was detained 5 weeks at that place. Now if her masts had been fitted on the plan I have proposed I am confident she would have been ready for sea in 48 hours and as a further proof I beg leave to add that the whole fleet on the glorious 12th of April had not the least accident of any consequence except what befell their lower masts, which detained them between 8 & 10 weeks at Jamacia. The delay of a ship while a new mast is making, & probably the fleet being detaind for want of that ship, which frequently occured in the course of last war, the taking of shipwrights from other work, with a variety of inconveniences not necessary to mention here, must be obvious to every officer that has made the smallest observations on sea actions. You will further observe, Sir, that the substitute is formed on the most simple priciple. fitted to the meanest capacity, and calculated to benefit all ships, from a first rate down to the smallest merchantman, in case of an accident by shot, a spring, a rottenness, particularly as those accidents generally happen in the upper third of the mast & about the cheeks. It might probably be objected, that a difficulty and some danger, might arise from the wounded part of the mast being below, but this will at once be obviated, when it is remembered that, as the wounded part is below the edges, it may with ease be both finished, cased, and secured to any size or degree you please, with the addition of its being wedged on each deck.
As the extent of my wish in proposing the foregoing plan, is to be useful to society, I cannot help confessing how highly I shall feel myself flattered in finding it meet with approbation, or if any hints can be drawn from it, which may ultimately be improved to add, in the smallest degree to the welfare & prosperity of the community, having only had in view, its benefit and advancement, which I trust will ever be with me the first object of consideration.
I have the honour to be with great respect
Your most humble servantApril 21 1792Edward Pakenham
Mr More
Secretary &c. &c.
A. A mast of a first rate, in its proper state, the figures representing the thickness of the different divisions.
B. The same mast inverted, the heel forming the head, and the tressel trees let in to their proper depth, the additional thickness of the mast forming its own cheeks.
C. The proposed mast, the figures representing the thickness of the mast in the proposed alterations:
a, the heel made square. b, the letting in of the tressel trees. c, the third proportion of thickness continued up to where the fourth is in the present mast, or at least, some little distance above the lower part of the cheeks, which is always looked upon, as the weakest part of the mast, when turned will be nearly as strong in the partners as before.
[Thomas Rajalin: European Magazine, London, 1793.]
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